


Overture

by myrica_rubra



Category: DDT Pro-Wrestling, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Falling In Love, First Everything, Kayfabe Compliant, Language Barrier, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content, More Tags Than Words, Nonverbal Communication, Sappy, Sharing a Brain, Weird Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 20:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18924913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrica_rubra/pseuds/myrica_rubra
Summary: The first match between Kenny and Kota is intense, in a lot of ways.





	Overture

For a brief moment, Kenny thinks he can kick out. His body hasn't given up yet, he knows he could continue. And if this were any other match, he would.

Until this moment he had been operating on a level below consciousness, fighting on instinct, guided by feeling. Without realizing it, he and Ibushi had entered some strange world together where pain did not exist, where thoughts were communicated without words, where each of them knew immediately what the other was going to do next.

Now, the sudden intrusion of conscious thought has made him aware of the path they have traveled together over the past twenty minutes, the increasingly dangerous heights they've pushed each other to, and the inevitable endpoint. Their trajectory is clear: if they allow themselves to continue down this path, they will not stop until someone is dead.

This realization hits him like lightning, and he can do nothing. He is pinned. He hears the three count. He has lost the match, but it doesn't matter; he knows there was no choice.

Suddenly Ibushi's weight is gone. Reality begins to creep back in. It seems the bubble they shared together has burst. Kenny can hear the crowd screaming, can feel the first twinges of the intense pain that has been inflicted on him. He wiggles his fingers and toes, stares at his hand, tries to ground himself in the real world again.

Then Ibushi is above him, blinking and dazed. He leans over Kenny and says something to him, and of course Kenny doesn't speak Japanese, but he forces himself to meet Ibushi's gaze and, somehow, they understand each other.

_Are you okay?_

_What do we do next?_

_Figure it out with me?_

The exchange happens in the blink of an eye. Kenny doesn't know how. He knows that Ibushi is a part of his life now...whatever that means. He knows he has lost so much more than just the match--his direction in life, all expectations about his future--but all that matters is what they have gained together...whatever that is.

He understands now: their bubble hasn't burst, it has expanded. There is no longer a reality outside of their connection. This is their new reality.

He gradually realizes that Ibushi is no longer beside him. Strange. His afterimage must have been burned into Kenny's eyes. He can hear Ibushi speaking on the mic. He hears his own name, first spoken by Ibushi, then chanted by the crowd. There are hands on his arms, lifting him up, raising him to his feet. Kenny realizes he's draped in streamers. He realizes he's crying.

Ibushi is standing in front of him. Out of habit, they move to shake hands, then simultaneously bypass that absurd formality and fall into each other's arms. What else could they do, after what they have just been through together? What other reaction could there be? Feelings he can't name pass between them, through their skin. Kenny is sobbing.

The next few minutes are a blur. He realizes that he's in the shower without remembering how he got there. He remembers sagging against the ropes. He remembers Ibushi holding him again, neither of them willing to break contact. He remembers walking backstage, where he was asked to give some comments. What could he possibly have said?

But the shower is helping him come back to himself, even though he can't do much but stand there and let the warm water strike his face. A hand on his back...Ibushi is there too. Kenny leans into his touch. He turns around.

Again, their eyes meet. Again, they communicate wordlessly. Ibushi lays his hands on Kenny's bruised and aching ribs, and at the same time, Kenny reaches up to cradle Ibushi's head in both hands--the head which Kenny had driven into metal and concrete not half an hour ago.

_I never want to hurt you again._

_Let's choose a different path._

_Where will it lead?_

Kenny is dimly aware that they are both naked. It doesn't matter. He has already been feeling exposed and vulnerable for the past hour. Why not be physically naked too? What difference does it make at this point?

He can't help it; he starts to laugh. It's all too perfect. It's unbelievable. Ibushi laughs too. Everything hurts. They can't stop smiling.

There are others around them, staring, giggling. Kenny doesn't care. It's not even sexual, what they're doing. It must look weird, but everything about this is weird.

They get dressed. Ibushi speaks to Nak, then looks at Kenny hopefully. The three of them agree to have dinner together and then go back to Ibushi's apartment to play games. Another inevitability.

Words are unnecessary. They play around, they make each other laugh, they can't stop touching each other. Their connection is impossible to hide. Nak jokes about feeling like a third wheel.

When it's time for bed, Nak takes the couch. Ibushi folds out another bed for Kenny on the floor of his room. It's just for appearance's sake; they both know it, and confirm it with a shared glance.

Kenny and Ibushi find themselves, for the second time, in a tangle of limbs, breathless and covered in sweat. It feels necessary. Inevitable, again. Kenny knows Ibushi is beautiful, but he can't even process that right now; it doesn't seem relevant. This is a conversation. They are learning each other. Soft kisses and exploring hands turn passionate and insistent, then gentle and soothing.

_I can't believe I found you._

_I need you...Don't go..._

_I'm here...I'm still here._

They drift off in each other's arms. Periodically, throughout the night, one of them wakes the other with a kiss, and their bodies resume their conversation. They don't get much sleep that night. This is more important than sleep.

There's so much they need to say to each other. Kenny doesn't know if they'll ever be able to communicate it all. He only knows that he will spend his life trying.


End file.
